1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of treating tumor metastases and cancer.
2. Description of the Background Art
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an antineoplastic drug with clinical activity in a variety of tumors, such as cancers of the colon and rectum, head and neck, liver, breast, and pancreas. One problem with 5-Fu is its extreme toxicity. Since 5-FU targets rapidly dividing cells, the primary toxic side effects are on bone marrow, intestinal mucousa and oral mucousa. Thus, leukocyte and platelet count decreases substantially after administration. Other side effects include stomatitis, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Neurological side effects include somnolence and ataxia. Other side effects include chest pain, myocardial necrosis and ischemia. Inflammatory reactions such as acute and chronic conjunctivitis leading to tear duct stenosis and ectropion also occur.
Monotherapy with 5-FU only results in tumor remission in about 20-25% of patients, and the average remission time is only about 6-8 months.
Although combination chemotherapy with 5-FU and other antineoplastic agents has been proposed, typically no substantive additional benefit is provided by the other antineoplastic agents over treatment with 5-FU alone.
Thus, there remains a significant need in the art for new and improved cancer treatment therapies.